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The Nuts and Bolts of Airfare
Deals
By Isaac Rau
Shopping for airline
tickets has come a long way since the days of calling the airline
companies directly to
reserve your itinerary. The advent of the
internet has given everyday consumers the ability to book airfares
without the assistance of airline customer service
representatives or
travel agents. Here’s some information
that will make you more
knowledgeable about how to get the best deal when booking flights
yourself online.
Have you ever seen the prices
for a flight fluctuate drastically in the same day? This is because
most airlines
use robust, database driven software that factors
historical purchase data along with current ticket supply
and demand to
determine ticket prices. For example, if a flight is selling out too
fast compared with past
flights for that same route, ticket prices will
rise and vice versa. Prices are updated multiple times a day and
even
real-time in some systems.
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Are you a business traveler? Airline companies are well aware
that businesses are willing to pay more for airfares then
the
average consumer, so they commonly implement the “Saturday
Night Stay Over” requirement to capitalize on them. If
you’re a
non-business traveler try to incorporate a Saturday night
stay
over to avoid this fee. If you’re on business, show your
employer
how much they’ll save by letting you stay the weekend, if
you so
desire.
What are the most
inexpensive days to fly? Tuesdays and
Thursdays are historically the cheapest days to fly, with
Wednesdays and Saturdays being a close second. Fridays and
Sundays are the most expensive. This all goes back to the
aforementioned ticket demand data that helps determine
ticket
prices. The same holds true for seasonal popularity and
times of
day. Flying red-eye during non-peak seasons is generally
cheaper because those flights have less demand.
When is the best
time to book my flight? Prices on last minute
airfare can be highly volatile so try to book in advance.
At the last
minute, airlines know you’re desperate and are willing to
pay
more. However, occasionally the airlines are desperate to
fill
seats, so prices might decrease. For travel during popular
holidays (i.e. Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving) and
internationally try book at least three months in advance.
Most
travel sites recommend booking 7, 14 or 21 days in
advance, but
in my experience the cheapest tickets usually get bought
up long
before then. So, even for domestic flights I start looking
several
months in advance.
Ultimately, the
best way to save money when planning your trip is
to resist mainstream travel patterns. If you can avoid
traveling
during peak seasons, days of the week and times of day you
can
find the tickets the airlines were forced to mark down to
ensure a
sold-out flight.
Article Source: http://www.1stArticles.com
Isaac Rau owns and operates
several airfare meta-search sites
including www.icheapairfares.com
and
www.1stcheapflights.com.
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